By 1914, Europeans had enjoyed almost a century without a major war. They had witnessed incredible changes. Rapid advances in science and industry had fed a belief in almost unlimited progress, peace, and prosperity. That confidence vanished in August 1914, buried in an avalanche of death and destruction. World War I engulfed much of the world for four years. For those who survived, it marked the beginning of a disturbing new age. In Russia, the disastrous consequences of World War I led to the collapse of the monarchy and the rise of the Bolsheviks.